Bike Commuters

Back in July of last year, the folks at 183rd Street Cycles sent over a frameset for us to use and abuse…they even painted it our choice of colors (dark green with silver sparkles). And we got to keep it once all was said and done. I’m down with that!

I was out of the initial loop as far as talking to the company…I heard I was getting a 55 or 57 cm frame from my boys in California, and either of those fit in my preferred range of frame sizes. From what I saw initially, the frame had a traditional horizontal top tube, so I was sure that things would be ok. Well, 183rd Street measures their frames from center of bottom bracket to the top of the rather extended seat tube, so the 55 cm frameset I got is actually 51 cm when measured center-to-center (the traditional way). Even more crucial to my fit is top tube length…I prefer somewhere around 56 cm as my torso is rather long. This frame measures out at 53 cm. So, in a nutshell, the frame is a bit too small, and that dictated how I was going to build it up. A sleek drop-bar pavement slicer was out of the question since I’d never be able to get tucked in over that short top tube, so I went with a more citybike-style build with a touch of hipster flair.

Building the bike up in this way also gave me a good excuse to try out some of Velo Orange’s “Grand Cru” product line. I ordered a VO seatpost (with some much-needed setback), threadless stem, VO Milan handlebars and cartridge-bearing threadless headset. All of those parts are finished in what I like to call “high satin”…not quite mirror polished but much shinier than typical silver components.

Color accents were determined by a pair of brake levers that have been kicking around in my parts bins since the early 90s (when colored ano was all the rage the first time) and the blue Panaracer T-Serv Messenger tires I bought for another project bike. Tracking down some blue bits like the grips and waterbottle cage was easy, and I was ready to get this machine on the road.

The 183rd Street frame has fairly typical “track” geometry…short wheelbase (about 3 cm shorter than my road bikes), high bottom bracket and steep head- and seat-tube angles. The included fork has 30 mm of rake and that gives the bike some fairly sharp handling. Tire clearance is tight…the 28mm tires I used are just about the biggest that will fit within the confines of the frame. Here, take a look for yourself:

The only concession to road use is the addition of waterbottle cage bosses on the seat tube — otherwise this frame is ready to rip up the velodrome. Although the fork and the rear brake bridge are drilled for brakes, there are no cable guides anywhere on the frame…keep that in mind if you want to run a rear brake on this frame as you’ll need to source some cable clips.

The frame is made of TIG-welded double-butted Tange chromoly tubing, so it’s reasonably light, quite stiff and very strong. But, with the track-friendly geometry, I find this frame to be rather punishing on the rough roads of Tampa. You WILL feel the road’s imperfections…the fabled vibration-soaking properties of steel just don’t apply on a stiff frame like this. Good thing I get some extra cushioning from the bigger tires!

What makes this frame different from other reasonably-priced track framesets on the market? Well, nothing really…I tried to come up with a catchy acronym, but all I could come up with is “JATTB” (Just Another Taiwanese Track Bike)…the frame is made by Maxway in Taiwan and rebadged once it gets over to the U.S. Actually, “rebadged” isn’t exactly the case as the 183rd Street Cycles folks didn’t add any decals to this frame. The only giveway of its origins is a tiny “Maxway” logo cast into the rear fork ends. It’s only visible if you’re really looking for it…see?

(hint: it’s on the chainstay-side of the fork end…it really just looks like a smudge in this picture!)

In any case, it’s a fairly low-key frame…subtle details that I like (long point crowned fork, in particular) but nothing that screams “look at me!”. Well, I suppose the silver sparkle I chose screams something, but let’s not go there…

I mentioned saddle setback a few paragraphs ago…because of the short top tube and the backswept handlebars, I needed some breathing room. The VO Grand Cru seatpost has 25 mm of setback and I slammed the seat back almost as far as it would go. Otherwise, I would be completely upright (Omafiets-style)…not necessarily a bad thing, but it gets windy here in SW Florida during the winter and I need at least a little aero advantage.

As sort of a “review within a review”, I just want to mention the VO Milan handlebars again. These bars are great; just enough backsweep to give the wrists a natural angle and just enough width to be stable yet able to negotiate narrow, traffic-laden streets. These Milan bars are hands-down the best citybike bars I’ve ever tried, and I have since ordered another pair for another bike in my fleet (and thinking about retrofitting two others, including my Xtracycle).

Alright, now let’s talk about the commuting potential for this frameset — many folks desire fenders, chaincases and racks on their bikes for the purposes of all-weather commuting, and I appreciate that. Still, there are plenty of people who want something sleek and stripped-down; they may not have much to carry or live in dry areas. While I wouldn’t necessarily choose this frame to build up a primary commuter (it has no attachment points whatsoever for racks and fenders, nor does it have the needed clearances for fenders), I find myself reaching for this bike more and more for my daily commute. I’ve put almost 500 miles on this bike since I finished building it in October…club rides, commuting miles and the occasional Critical Mass ride. Why? Because this bike is a BLAST to ride — razor-sharp handling at speed, stiffness for sprinting and not a whole lot to go wrong or come loose. I like to ride fast, particularly on my way home, and this bike fits the bill for that. I have it geared 44/18 free and 44/16 fixed with both front and rear brakes — suitable for cruising around and also a bit of hammering when I want to. Yes, it beats me up a bit on longer rides, but I’m the sort who will trade a bit of comfort for performance. That’s not everyone’s cup of tea, though.

The frame retails for $399 and the fork is an additional $139…a pretty ok deal for a nice frameset made out of good steel. There are others on the market, but if you’re looking for a basic track frame, this 183rd Street Cycles frameset is worth looking into.

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-Editorial: RL Policar “As you may recall we had solicited the help of MtnBikeRiders.com Team Racer, Eric “The Animal” Hunner to conduct the review on the Torker Graduate. Not only was the Graduate used for grocery gettin’, it was also used as a training bike for an upcoming long distance mountain bike race. If we want to test an item and find out if it is bomb-proof, or at least Animal-Proof, then we send it over to Eric. He’s one big and strong fella, 6′2″ @240lbs with a 7% body fat…nuff said.”

The Product: 2010 Torker Graduate

It does not rain very often in Southern California, but it always seems to rain when I am trying to get some training miles in for the long distance Mtn bike races. With most of the riding areas closed I had some time on my hands to put some time in on this bike.

Features; At first this bike looks Plain Jane, but upon closer inspection you will notice nice features:

5 speed internal hub-Sturmey Archer

Drum Brakes-Alloy 70mm Internal Drum F & R

Full Coverage Fenders

Nice tires-Tioga Gritty Slicker 700 x 32

Rear Rack mounts

Handle Bar-Alloy All Rounder — I flipped the bar over

Six different frames sizes available

Single speed good looks with gears to boot

Great MSRP @ $499.99

I had fun on this bike; it held up to me mashing on the pedals with few complaints. Keep in mind I am not your average size commuter, I am 6′ 2″ and 240 pounds currently. During my first few rides I ran into some gear shifting problems; I dug deeper into the problem and it was me. I managed to slip the wheel forward during some aggressive hill climbing and lost the correct adjustment on the SA hub. I locked the rear hub into place with a wrench and I made the adjustment to the shift cable after learning the correct way on how to adjust the hub, then the gear shifting improved greatly. If you are interested in the internals of the hub here is the PDF manual link http://www.sturmey-archer.com/userfiles/manuals/XRD5-Tech.pdf

If you have never ridden a Sturmey Archer it takes a little practice; when you want another gear you simply stop or slow your pedaling and twist the grip and let it drop into gear. This is really nice at stop lights, you could be in 5th gear while stopped and twist the grip to 1st and be on your way wiht no pedaling necessary to shift.

In short this is a great bike at a great price: the ride is predictable and the steering angle is perfect, the fenders keep you dry, the tires can take a beating and roll fast, the option to flip the handle bars is nice and the brakes are smooth even with a heavyweight aboard. A little more on the brakes– they slow the bike down without any signs of fading or locking up. The brakes do require a little more stopping distance then disc brakes, but require very little maintenance.

I have been running back and forth to the grocery store and locking the bike up to the rack — not worrying about some knucklehead slamming his bike into the Graduate and messing up the the gears or brakes. Why? Because it has no external derailleurs and drum brakes that are not exposed to dangers of bike racks. Another nice thing about the Plain Jane look is that a thief would probably look for bikes with more gizmos and bright colors.

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When the weather first started turning cooler and wetter last fall, I began testing a new waterproof jacket from the women’s mountain bike clothing company Loeka. This company makes women-specific gear primarily for mountain bikers, but this jacket is designed with commuters and everyday riders in mind helps them achieve their mission to simply “help build a strong community of female riders from beginners to professionals by encouraging more and more females to try/take up cycling.” With this jacket, the nasty elements certainly are one less excuse to not get out and ride. And with this company’s attention to fashion, riders will definitely be getting compliments on their chic “look”; I know I have received more than a few compliments while wearing this jacket (never before received while sporting my other waterproof commuter jacket) – nice!

It certainly holds up its end on being waterproof! After a rainy ride home you can see that all the water beads up on the surface and kept me dry underneath.

Despite the higher visibility color (noted online as “Peppermint Figgy”), it doesn’t scream blinding yet still provides the rider with a light-colored jacket that stands out on the roads. (Loeka also offers this jacket in a blue color they call “Hey Ocean“.)

Originally I received this Loeka commuter jacket when the weather was still wonderfully warm and pleasant and couldn’t start testing until the fall/winter weather descended upon Chicago.

I debated about which size of this jacket would best fit me; their website provides detailed sizing charts, but I still found that my measurements fall somewhere in between, and after talking with the kind folks/owners of Loeka to help me sort out my sizing questions, I was more comfortable sizing down rather than up, since the cut on the torso for me was more than spacious and long enough; if I had gone with the larger size, the sleeves would have been a bit longer and shoulder area roomier for bulky layering underneath. According to the owners,

“The jacket has been designed to fit a little looser, that way the jacket can accommodate more girls, you can wear a soft shell or other layer underneath comfortably. The jacket can be used for crossover such as running, snow shoeing, spring skiing if you wanted, casually ect. Now depending on the girls body style and how she likes the jacket to fit, loose, fitted going up or down a size will most likely accommodate that girls specific fit preference.”

The cut on this jacket is long enough all the way around so as not to allow nasty road spray sneak up on your rear (not a longer tail on the back) and you can see how it fits while on the bike.

This jacket offers bike commuters/around town riders waterproof/weatherproof protection in a fashion-forward design. Unlike my previous waterproof jacket designed in a more (non-stylish) unisex manner, this shell offers the same 3-season protection from rain or snow or clear, cold and windy days – basically to “tackle all the not very nice weather” with a unique look. The most obvious feature that stands out is the angled zipper down the front (as opposed to all the other commuter jackets that have a straight zipper down middle front of the jacket). Beneath this zipper, a windproof flap (in a curvy design) blocks any wind/rain from sneaking through the zipper.

This angled full zipper down the right side of the jacket is balanced on the the left with another small zip at the neckline that not only provides visual symmetry to the design but also (according to Loeka) helps to provide easy ventilation while keeping you protected from the elements. Personally I found the ventilation offered by this smaller zip to be negligible at best, but visually it succeeds from a design perspective. There are also ventilation flaps on the front side of the jacket (along the chestline) but no equal venting on the back. Luckily the lack of the rear venting is not an issue since this jacket does boast the essential pit-zips for added ventilation – and I appreciated their length and the added breathability they offered to prevent overheating.

From the functionality perspective, this jacket sports a hand pocket on either side of the angled zipper; the left side pocket reaches across the jacket and offers ample room for gloves, keys, etc – just don’t put too much in it since it stretches across the belly area in the front. The right-hand pocket (though small due to the angled zip) provides just enough room for your keys or any small accessory. At first I missed having a handy chest pocket which I’ve had on other jackets, but I soon came to appreciate the pockets at hip level (especially when just walking around town on my lunch break). There is also a rear zippered pocket (covered with a flap) to store extras while riding (cell phone, snack, etc) that doesn’t call attention to itself when not in use.

One bothersome feature for me was the lack of a higher/more fitted neckline, especially since I don’t like getting any drafty wind (or rain) sneaking in at my neck. (For full disclosure, my neck is one area that I like to keep warm in order to keep the rest of me warm, so this may not be an issue for other ladies.)

Loeka purposely left the neckline a bit looser to help accommodate a layer underneath comfortably and for 2010 they have made the neckline closer and not so loose. For the coldest days, I really appreciate the ability to comfortably layer-up under this jacket. All photos on their website reflect these adjustments for their 2010 line.

Technical Specs on this jacket from Loeka:

FABRIC
100% 75-denier polyester.
Lined with 100% polyester mesh.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Waterproof up to 10,000ml with taped seams.
8,000ml breathability, armpit zippers and natural chest vent.
Reflective piping built in to back panels and sleeves.
Adjustable wrists and rear zip pocket.
Longer arm length designed for sports. (When you reach out, the sleeves do not creep up to expose bare skin.)

According to the owners of Loeka, the jacket should easily last 3-5 years of heavy use if properly maintained or even longer. If the jacket is being worn occasionally then it could last who knows how long. For care instructions, please see their site for care info which basically directs using a sport wash like Nikwax or Grangers to help keep the waterproofing last. Then hang dry, do not tumble dry.

With the winter thaw setting in and the rainy spring season on its way, this jacket is a great outer layer addition to any female cyclist’s wardrobe. (And fashion savvy, too!)

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A couple months back, Hector from Faction Cycling Co. sent us a jersey to test out. All of their jerseys are made in the U.S.A. and the company is based in Chicago, where folks know a thing or two about living with two wheels.

Here’s a bit about the jersey from Faction Cycling’s website:
• 100% Polyester Micro Denier Yarn
• Comfort Fit Design
• Pocket-less Construction
• 3/4-length Invisible Zipper
• Made in the U S of A

Faction Cycling describes the jersey as “Club Cut”, and while it is roomier than a race-cut jersey, it’s not quite as roomy as other club-cut jerseys I’ve tried. I give that a thumbs-up — I don’t like excess fabric flapping in the breeze — but others looking for more room may want to try a size up.

You may have noticed in the above description that there are no pockets. Faction says:

Since we were already packing all our junk in a bag, we ordered up a club cut jersey, and said hold the pockets. We kept the rest of what we liked in a standard jersey and lived comfortably ever after.

It’s true that many (most?) commuters and other cyclists carry a saddlebag to hold their goodies while riding, so it would seem that going pocketless is a good thing. In practice, though, I actually missed the pockets that I’ve become accustomed to having…my saddlebag isn’t that big, and I often carry a couple of extra C02 cartridges, my cellphone and snacks in jersey pockets. If you’ve got a bigger bag (saddle- or handlebar-bag) or routinely carry a messenger bag or backpack, you won’t miss the pockets as much as I did.

The detailing of the Flatlander jersey is subtle…thin white stripes against a charcoal grey background, with only a small company logo on one sleeve and a small Municipal Flag of Chicago adorning the left breast (Windy City represent!). It doesn’t scream “LOOK AT ME!” the way many other cycling jerseys tend to and as such fits the needs of commuters who want to keep a bit lower profile out on the roads. And, it doesn’t look out of place with other clothing…you want to wear a pair of regular shorts or jeans with it? Go ahead: the neutral color and subtle ornamentation won’t clash with “street clothes”.

The fabric is of top-quality…all of the features (durable, moisture-wicking) one might expect of a cycling-specific garment. Construction is top-notch, too; the stitching is great and there are no odd puckers in the jersey. A 3/4-length zipper lets you ventilate as needed on hot days.

Overall, I think this is a great jersey — with a price of $75, it is in keeping with other brands’ jerseys and it’s refreshing to see a U.S. made product. If you really need pockets, you’re in luck: Faction Cycling makes a few jerseys with traditional pockets as well. Check out their site for other jerseys, caps and cool t-shirts.

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I recently had the pleasure of reading Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes (Corvallis: Oregon State University Press, 2009). Mr. Mapes is a political reporter for the Oregonian, and he put together a great overall look at American bicycle culture.

Mapes gives a pretty thorough overview of the major (and some minor, but influential) players in the U.S. bicycle advocacy movement and traces the history of our bicycle culture and advocacy progress from the early 1970s to the present. All the high points are covered: politicians such as Jim Oberstar (D-Minnesota), John Forester of the vehicular cycling movement, advocacy groups like the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (now called the Active Transportation Alliance) and Bike Portland, the Critical Mass movement, even Reverend Phil of Bike Porn Tour fame. This gives the reader a good picture of how modern bike culture developed.

As with many such books, a trip to Amsterdam, the fabled bicycle mecca, was included. Mapes is careful to point out that although bicycling is ingrained in Dutch society (as it is in Copenhagen, Denmark…the “other” mecca), many of the real developments didn’t happen until the the late 1960s for both areas. And, Mapes points out that both Amsterdam and Copenhagen are not without their car problems; despite barriers such as high sales and ownership taxes and the cost of fuel, car miles have increased.

Pedaling Revolution has chapters on safety issues, describing many U.S. cities as “in that awkward period where utilitarian cycling has become visible but still not mainstream”. Mapes touches on some of the vehicular cycling vs. dedicated bicycle infrastructure points in this chapter. There are also chapters on getting kids back on bikes and health considerations (the American decrease in physical activity and subsequent explosion in obesity and diabetes epidemics). The health chapter does not focus its sights squarely on the motor vehicle as villian, but Mapes is careful to list it as one of many contributing factors to the health crisis facing U.S. cities.

Overall, the book is a good read — complete, well-researched and sprinkled throughout with fascinating experiences and interactions between the author and people involved in bicycle culture at all levels. Add it to your booklist; it’s worth checking out.

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A winter’s worth of riding through slush and grime had made my pannier rain covers nasty. I’d rinse them off with clean water every few days, but they had gotten deeply stained with road grime and they started losing most of their water repellent properties. It’s hard to see in these photos, but the inner surface that faces the wheels was really dirty, even after rinsing them off in the sink.

Our friends at Nikwax were happy to send us some sample-sized products to try out. Tech Wash is a special detergent made for washing water-repellent material.  It’s supposed to help lift stains out and clean the surface without diminishing the waterproofing properties of GORE-TEX and similar textiles. In fact, it’s supposed to help revitalize them a bit. We’ll see. These rain covers are FILTHY and leak water. I also added my waterproof ski shell to the mix. One of these containers is supposed to be good for up to three garments.

After Tech Wash, the pannier covers were notably cleaner, with only a few really deep stains remaining. I let them dry completely before taking this photo, then I put them to the test with some water spray.  Some parts of the rain cover shed water while it permeated other parts. The rain covers were clean, but their waterproofing was too far gone. My ski jacket repelled water like new, though!

I ran the rain covers through the wash again, this time with NikWax’s TX Direct wash-in Waterproofing solution. This milky substance is added directly to the washer (or to a sink full of water) without any detergent, and you “wash” already-clean waterproof gear in it to revitalize its hydrophobic properties.

I once again dried the rain covers out, and then performed the same test with water spray. Even after 5 minutes of water sitting on the rain covers, nothing was soaking through.

That was about a week ago, and they’re still repelling water. Hopefully, after being treated with NikWax, they will last through the rainy spring season that’s on the way.

Nikwax has a wide range of products for cleaning and refurbishing technical clothing. This includes scrubbing cleaners for cycling/running shoes, Base Wash for deodorizing and restoring the wicking and breathability of your base layers, and spray-on waterproofing agents. I may try some of these other products in the future, but for now, I’m quite pleased with TX Direct and Tech Wash.

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Several months back, the wizards behind the wildly popular Chrome messenger bag line announced that they would be coming out with several models of shoes, all named after famous WWII battles. Fast forward a couple months and they sent RL a courtesy pair of their “Kursk” shoes to try out. With RL’s beefy physique and matching wide feet, those shoes just didn’t fit, so he passed them over to me.

Here’s a bit about the shoes from Chrome’s site:

•Made of our Weatherproof 1,000 denier Cordura with back-padding
•100% vulcanized construction
•Low profile design to better fit into a toe cage
•Re-enforced nylon/glass fiber shank to support the midsole
•Board lasted sole to eliminate pedal hot spot
•Skid resistant contact rubber on the sole
•Polyurethane contoured crash pad insole
•Durable rubber heel cup with reflective safety hit
•Lace garage so laces don’t get caught in your chain
•Steel aglets to keep laces from fraying

The Kursk shoes are very reminiscent of the classic Converse All-Star, which has long been very popular for urban riders of all stripes. Right off the bat I’ve got to say that Chrome took the general styling of those classic shoes and made them WAY better.

First, the construction — the shoes are made of lightly-padded Cordura nylon and vulcanized rubber. The Cordura is incredibly durable and blows traditional canvas away. It doesn’t stretch, it doesn’t rot and it shakes off a ton of abuse. Same with the rubber toe cap and bumpers on the Kursk shoes — despite some heavy riding and daily kick-around wear, these shoes still look new.

Second, the details — this shoe has several features that make it ideal for urban riders. I especially like the “lace garage”, a loop of elastic that holds the tied laces parallel to the sides of the shoe. No more annoying (and dangerous) windup from a loose lace getting caught in your chain!

The laces have steel aglets (endcaps) to give an extra measure of durability…no more fraying. Also, there are small but effective reflective inserts in the heels for a bit of nighttime visibility. That’s always a nice touch.

The logos are fairly subtle, and the color combo is one of my favorites…black with red accents. I showed them to my friend David when he was visiting — he’s a longtime Chrome bag user and jokes that his black-and-red Metropolis bag was the inspiration for building up a black-and-red fixed gear bike…after all, the bike has to match the bag, right? Needless to say, he was quite envious. These shoes are understated, yet they catch people’s attention in a positive way. I received quite a few compliments on them.

How do they ride? Quite nice, in fact — the stiffened sole eliminates the hot-spot issue many Converse/Vans/Adidas Samba wearers experience when riding with traditional cage pedals. One simply cannot feel the edges of the pedals digging in to the bottom of your foot with the Chromes on. And the shoes aren’t so stiff that they make walking uncomfortable — Chrome did their homework and found a good balance in that stiffness.

The sole is plenty sticky…perfect for platform pedals like the BMX models I favor, and the shoe’s overall profile lends itself to riding with toeclips, slipping easily in and out of the clips without hangups.

Perhaps the only negative thing I can say about the Kursks is that they’re cut rather narrow. I have fairly bony feet and even I found the toebox a bit cramped. Unlike canvas shoes that will stretch with enough wear, the Cordura fabric of these shoes remains unyielding — that may change with more wear, but I’m doubting it. If you’ve got wide feet, you may consider purchasing a half-size larger than your normal shoes (they DO come in half-sizes from 4.5 to 11.5, with whole sizes in 12, 13 and 14). Or, you may want to find a place locally to try them on before pulling the trigger.

These shoes have become my default “casual Friday” work shoes — they look great and they’re great to ride in. For $70.00, you’ll get a well-made and well-thought-out pair of shoes that will dazzle your friends. Thumbs up!

Check out Chrome’s online store for these and other models of shoes, including the Saipan, the Arnhem and the Midway.

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At the beginning of 2010 I previewed this new pannier set that I would be riding around town.

I mounted them on my bike – multiple bikes – with zero hardware or tools required. Just snap and go – literally. Note: I do not have Bontrager brand racks on any of my bikes but these panniers still worked with my set-up. For comparison, I visited a local bike shop along my daily commuting route and compared my set-up to a true Bontrager set-up:

(My racks just happen to be by Blackburn and I was able to mount these panniers using one of the down-sloping posts.)

(On the Bontrager rack the lower clip attaches to the diagonal tube)

The interchange mechanism is all plastic and I question its reliability over time. I’ve already lost the yellow rubber cushions that help fit the pannier clamp to the rack. In all the on and off, the yellow fittings just fell out. I noticed they were missing one morning when I went to mount them for the daily commute.

Over the past month of riding with these panniers, I’ve really come to appreciate multiple panniers and complete independence from a backpack. When I first started commuting several years ago, I always rode with a backpack. My bike back then did not have a rear rack and the backpack just travelled easier. When I finally installed a rack, I also invested in a waterproof pannier and was more attracted to its waterproofness and the additional cargo space it provided than to having it fully replace my backpack. At the end of last summer, however, I decided to ditch the backpack entirely and rely solely on my single pannier. My back appreciates not carrying the weight, but the single bucket style pannier wasn’t always adequate. Enter – the Bontrager Interchange Urban Commuter Pannier (sold as a set). I compare one of the Bontrager bags to my bag:

You can see how these panniers compare in size to my old pannier. They are a bit narrower but about what I’ve been used to. But they offer a bit more height. Also, this set has a symmetrical design and are both soft shell so they keep their shape but do compress if needed. As noted by the company,

One bag is compartmentalized for daily needs: keys, glasses, music, phone, etc
One bag contains a large open compartment for clothes, shoes, etc

I’m used to the large open “bucket” concept; little stuff often got buried in my single bag. With these, I can use the one bag for extra layers and tools, while the compartmentalized bag carries my daily trinkets – camera, book, lunch and other papers (and even my laptop on occasion). A laptop up to 15.4″ should fit in this bag without a problem; Bontrager makes a laptop sleeve (sold separately) designed to work with their bags, but I just used my own neoprene padded sleeve and was fine.

It would have been nice if the interior of the compartmentalized bag was more like a briefcase and/or had some better ability to organize the big compartment. Since I often am a pedestrian during the day, I would slide a bag with a handle into the pannier and be able to just lift it out and go later. But I noticed when I just wanted to slide a few files or papers directly into the pannier itself that they would get lost in the openness of the single compartment.

On the exterior, both bags have an external pocket on the body of the bag, but only the compartmentalized bag has a small external pocket on the lid of the bag. These pockets simply served for small items – a set of keys or some papers, and they did come in handy without having to access the interior of the bag for something small.

Reflective material abounds on this set, including a separate bright yellow raincover that each pannier stows hidden away in a back bottom pocket. I used the raincover only a couple of times and it did its job, including providing added visibility. I really like that the reflective strips on these bags appear all around the exterior so as to increase their visibility in all directions.

Accessing these bags did provide me with a bit of a challenge, especially since I’ve been using them in the colder weather when I’m wearing gloves or mittens. The bags each have a flip-down lid that clamps shut with plastic cargo buckles on each side of the bag. But releasing the buckles with cold fingers to access the interior contents of the bags proved difficult and cumbersome, especially since both buckles had to be unsnapped in order to open the lid. The adjustable straps that allow cinching of the buckle closure would flap as I ride and for my first few commutes with these panniers my right foot kept knocking one of the straps with each pedal stroke. Luckily I realized I could mount the bags a bit further back on the rack and avoid future interference.

Each bag comes with a detachable shoulder strap for ease of carrying these bags off the bike. However, I was never able to figure out a great way to efficiently make use of these straps. For one, the straps attach to the bags on the sides of the “lid” (not to the pannier side itself) so the lid must be buckled closed in order to carry the bag with the strap. Once back on the bike, there is no set means of stowing the shoulder strap from flapping around or getting caught in the wheel. I tried slipping the excess strap into one of the exterior pockets but that was not reliable. I could detach the straps each time but in the cold that was cumbersome, too. I finally settled for cinching them a bit and laying them under the lid before closing the bags up. That way the straps would be right on top next time I needed them and ready to go. But I do wish they weren’t mounted on the lid and that I didn’t have to open and then securely close the lid whenever I wanted to use the shoulder strap.

I do like the hauling capacity that this pannier set offers. Rated to carry a volume of 1,975cu.in. (32,364cc), I was able to schlup not only my daily commuting needs (and then some) but also to stop at the market on the way home and grab some groceries. I evenly distributed my haul between the two bags and was still able to latch the bags shut without a problem.

The interchange mounting mechanism allowed me to use the handles to quickly mount/unmount these panniers and carry my load up to my apartment – usually just holding the bags by the handles.

I will say that it wasn’t always convenient having two bags to carry around with me (since I usually don’t trust leaving a pannier on the bike for fear of the pannier or its contents getting stolen). But in the end I enjoyed the increased organization these panniers offered me as an urban commuter. They live up to their namesake.

Bontrager makes several other bags/panniers to fit nearly any cyclist’s needs – for utility, fashion or performance – on and off the bike. At an MSRP of $179.99, I’m not sure the Urban Commuter is perfect for every budget. But these panniers have introduced me to a whole new line of bag functionality that I certainly appreciate.

Overview:
Pros:
* capacity
* reflectiveness
* easy mounting on the rack
* rain cover

Cons:
* cost
* plastic mounting parts – easily lost
* shoulder strap cumbersome to store/use

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So, just what was in that massive bike box the other day? Well, after wading through a cubic yard of packing material, things start to be revealed…

And, after a couple hours of hardcore wrenching, the RANS Hammertruck was assembled and ready to roll:

What IS that machine? Imagine an Electra cruiser ran off into the woods with a Surly Big Dummy…this could be the product of such a tryst. The RANS Hammertruck is a newish player on the cargobike market, with many visual and cargo-handling cues from the Xtracycle but also wildly different. Now you may know that we’re huge fans of the Xtracycle platform around here…so there will be inevitable comparisons between it and this Hammertruck. In any case, we’re very excited to be able to test the Hammertruck for a couple of months before sending it back to RANS.

The manufacturer specs list a quality component roster, and this bike is rated for a whopping 525 lbs. of rider and cargo. Suggested retail price is around $2000. We’ll provide more details in the coming weeks in our “first impressions” article.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the cargo-handling portion of the Hammertruck. The side bags are shown in “rolled and stowed” mode, but rest assured: once they are deployed, they are HUGE. Also shown are the optional side runners for increased cargo capacity. This machine looks tailor-made for hauling a giant load of whatever you can stuff, strap, cram or wedge into or onto those hefty racks and bags:

Please click here to read our review disclaimer as required by the Federal Trade Commission.

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As is our tradition here at Bikecommuters.com, I figured I’d post a photo of the biggest, most unwieldy bike box I’ve ever received at our secret East Coast testing laboratory:

What’s in that massive box? Kitty wants to know…

With a little luck, I’ll have preview photos sometime during the weekend. In the meantime, stay tuned — this should be interesting, to say the least.

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